The Town
by Veilrony
Summary: When ToS gets made into an MMO featuring microphones and even VR, the world flocks to it, even more so than the original browser game. And when all the players have VR sets and microphones, one group of fifteen is treated to an especially realistic - and dangerous experience.
1. Prologue

When the MMO's screen popped open on the browsers, the voice chat rang on. "Theme?"

The music that always set Andrea's heart racing started to come on. "Um… Let's just do normal-ish names."

 _Martin Jacobs has joined the game._

Andy looked over. "That's not your real name, is it?"

The speakers rang back with the only guy chatting right now. "Only my first." There was silence on the other side. "How about we use our real first names?"

"A'ight," she said. "How about there's only voice chat for the daytime?"

 _Paige Winx has joined the game._

"That was me!" a new voice said. "And yeah, that'd be a great theme-slash-idea." Her voice had a lisp through her crappy microphone, like she had something in her mouth. Braces?

"So then when are you joining?" Martin asked.

"Just joining now." Andy grabbed her keyboard from across her messy desk and held it in front of her.

 _Andy Ferrell has joined the game._

"Annddd that was me," Andy said, tapping a random message to the chat. "Get the VR sets on." She paused as she heard a giggling sound from a new-ish voice. "And yes, Andy is a girl name." She put the glasses over her head, watching as the electricity changed the view from the monitor to her VR set.

 _Vance Smith has joined the game._

 _Faith Potter has joined the game._

 _Alfrid Nolan has joined the game._

More names started appearing in front of Andy's eyes, like she was reading off a Google Glass.

 _Devon Hood has joined the game._

 _Briona Knight has joined the game._

 _Kellie Shepard has joined the game._

 _Macleod Tillery has joined the game._

 _Jareh Gaber has joined the game._

 _Konner Lowery has joined the game._

 _Jaidon Schroeder has joined the game._

 _Casie Barron has joined the game._

"Voice check," a new voice said. "Say your name!"

All fifteen voices started talking in a blur of words.

"VR check?" Andy offered with a blink.

Fifteen more yeses. Andy couldn't believe her ears. This was literally the best Town of Salem game everywhere. On her screen, her avatar started taking form. It was a near replica of her that she spent hours toiling over. It even had the same hair tone that she did.

"Say. When's the group going to start?"

Right at that moment, the screen went black to welcome her and her newfound players into the virtual world of the Town of Salem MMO.


	2. Chapter 1

Andy looked up and around her, the role flashing above her head for just one second.

Jailor.

She hung her head down and tried not to curse. Dammit.

She looked around at the town, where multiple hay-roofed houses lay in a circle. She counted up fourteen and a castle, meaning somebody had a paid membership. In the very centre of the town was not a fountain, but a gallows. It sent her stomach twisting, even if she didn't know why.

Besides it was an unassuming old clock, telling her that it was about 7:30 in game time.

"Well, I guess it's going to be a good day today, don't you think?" She twisted her head, her VR set automatically creating the environment. Beside her was Martin, with his name hanging over his head and pointing down at him in bright white text. His avatar had shoulder-length black hair and pale skin. Like everyone else, he was wearing the typical pilgrim outfit.

"Yeah," she murmured. "We should look around. See who's suspicious. Ya know?"

He nodded, keeping his eyes trained about. Andy even had to give a second glance to Martin, even if he looked perfecly normal and innocent. She herself could be looking suspicious.

She gave a look to her left, where another person was standing. She took a look above her head and read her name quickly. Briona Knight. She took no notice of Andy, looking around the town like she was at the top of it. Sheriff? Godfather? Heck, even the serial killer?

Behind Briona was a guy named Macleod Tillery. He had brown curly hair and rather tanned skin. His house was upgraded into a small castle, a sign that he was the one with the paid membership. It probably made him feel lofty. Not to mention that it could make him a target in less than a spoken word.

"Hiya," somebody said. Before Andy could read the text of the girl behind Macleod, she turned around to meet the voice.

"Hi," Andy replied as she faced a brown haired girl with copper skin. "Who're you?"

The question was redundant as she looked above the girl's head. Faith Potter. On Martin's side, she was after a Casie Barron and a Vance Smith. "Well, I guess you know that already." She sheepishly ran her hands over her arms, looking at Andy. "But… yeah. I guess you do."

Andy gave an awkward laugh and looked up at the sky. It was sunset already, meaning that the grandfather clock would ring at any time. She took a second glance at it. It was already 9:45. It reminded her how quickly time went by in-game.

"Well, the clock's about to go, Faith," she said.

"Yep. G'night, then." She took an unsteady glance around her.

She tried walking over for a handshake, but her virtual legs didn't allow her to move. Of course. It was the first day and people were glued to their spots in the circle. Maybe tomorrow they'd all be able to walk around.

Oh crud. She quickly looked around the circle to see who to jail. She had a role to uphold after all. Um…, she thought. How about… She read the names of the townspeople as quickly as she could. Faith! At this point in the game, everyone and everyone was suspicious. It didn't help that Faith deliberately walked up to her. She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and ran her fingers over it. It was the list of all the players still alive in the game. She circled Faith's name with her finger and waited for the clock to ring.

It rang five seconds later. She hoped she got the right person.

Andy slipped on the cape, the boots, and the mask that a Jailor always wore. The game forced her virtual body to, and she kept turning her head towards the empty room in her house and then back at her outfit. She quickly grabbed a random piece of paper and scrawled a note onto it in case the interrogation went wrong.

Pixels started to appear in the chair, the only furniture in the room. Andy stood up taller and prepared to start the interrogation. Faith started to show up completely, and all that was left to work with were the pixels working out the kinks with Faith's face.

Andy made herself look taller and tightened her mask over her face. She narrowed her eyes so Faith couldn't see her through the eyeholes.

"Where am I?" was the first thing she said. She glanced around the empty room and threw her head back in resignation. "Jail again! How many games have I been jailed on the first night!"

Andy, if she was talking to her during the day, would have said 'easy there, Tiger,' but it wasn't exactly daytime. She took long authoritative strides towards Faith and growled in her most menacing voice, "Give me your role!" The voice modulator added with every nightime Jailor voice kicked in, making her seem even more growly than before.

"Paige?" she asked. "Is that you? I know your mic is crappy, but I never thought that it was that bad."

"No! Give me your role!" Andy said again. She was preparing to bring out the slip of paper again and circle her name. She wasn't giving a role, and she was just being stupid. It'd be cruel to kick her out of the game so quickly, but she could easily talk to the medium at night. But wait. She couldn't.

"Alright, alright!" she said. "You want to know the truth?" she asked. "I'm the doctor. I'm 99% sure that the mafs and the serial killer are going to go after Macleod so I was going to heal him. If he's dead in the morning…" Faith struggled in her chair. "I don't know what I'll do."

Andy looked at the sun. "Alright. I'll let you go now. See you in the morn."


End file.
